The Owens River was named for Richard Owens, a member of John C. Fremont’s third expedition to California, though he never saw it. The group split into two parties at Walker Lake in western Nevada. Owens accompanied Fremont, crossing the Sierra at Donner Pass. The second group proceeded to the south, crossing the crest at what is now known as Walker Pass. Along the way, this second group named a large terminal lake after Owens, and the name was then extended to its principal tributary.
However, it was not the Fremont expedition, but the diversion of the river’s flow into an aqueduct that delivers it to Los Angeles, a diversion that began in 1913, that established its status — and that of the LADWP, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — in the history of the Golden State. Water was and is central to the development of Southern California, and the Owens will be forever a part of any discussion of water transfers there. Yet the size of the river, which drains an area of 2,800 square miles, belies its large role in the state’s history. It is rarely more than 40 feet wide, often less — a largely placid and meandering river that traverses a classic high-desert landscape. The river offers opportunities for large fish and, in places, fish in large numbers. Except for a series of private ranches on the upper Owens, access to the river is readily available for most of its length. There are numerous campgrounds along its length, and lodging, food, and all kinds of services are available in the towns of Mammoth Lakes and Bishop. From its headwaters to the town of Big Pine, the Owens draws thousands of anglers who want to sample its iconic water in search of rainbow and brown trout.
Headwaters
The headwaters of the Owens River are found in numerous small rills that rise on 11,600-foot-high San Joaquin Mountain and the San Joaquin Ridge on the east side of the Sierra Crest. The largest of these, Glass Creek and Deadman Creek, flow through beautiful wildflower-strewn meadows and invite you to hike in and cast for vividly colored brook trout. Any sort of dry fly will take fish in these small streams, which are choked with willows and often can be fished only by using a dapping technique. Glass and Deadman Creeks join and run under Highway 395 at Crestview, 12 miles north of Mammoth Lakes. From there, the water flows eastward to Big Springs, an area of porous lava rock that emits thousands of gallons of spring water. It is here that the Owens River is born.
For the first mile below Big Springs, the river is a fast-flowing freestone stream that clatters down a canyon in a series of pools, eddies, and deep slots. The river is crystal clear and contains a mixture of brown and rainbow trout. The fish generally range from 6 to 10 inches long, but there are some that run up to 15 inches.
The plunge pools can be fished effectively using nymph patterns such as Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, and Prince Nymphs. Dry flies can be employed in the riffles and longer runs. I have had success with Parachute Adamses, Blue-Winged Olives, Elk Hair Caddises, and terrestrial patterns such as Cutter’s Perfect Ant and grasshopper imitations. There is a campground at Big Springs, so do not expect solitude. This region experienced a large wildfire in 2016, and the effects of this incident remain to be seen, but I fear that what was once a lovely forested canyon may be compromised for years to come.
The Upper Owens
At the bottom of the canyon below Big Springs, the river dumps into the first of several valleys that form the watershed of the upper Owens River. The property at this point is private, bounded by a fence, and posted. This is the first of a series of private holdings that extend downstream to a spot known as Long Ears. The river runs 18 miles from Long Ears to the inflow on Crowley Lake, and all of this water is open for fishing. This land consists of grazed holdings owned by the City of Los Angeles and leased to area ranchers. Please observe access points and take care with gates and fences. There are numerous access points from Owens River Road on the west side of the river and a dirt track that runs up the east side from Benton Crossing Road. The dirt roads/tracks can be mud holes early in the year and after major storms. Some of the access points are subject to closure, so check with a local source before heading out to the river.
The upper Owens River winds through a wide valley in a series of looping meanders and oxbows. The river is a succession of curved cut-banks and eddies, undercut banks, and deep slots. These are tied together by shallow riffle sections. The stream is deeply incised into the meadow, and the drop from ground level to the water is often four feet or more.
Combine this with the fact that there are few willows or trees along the banks, and the angler is quite visible to the fish. A low and slow approach is mandatory on this section of river. Be prepared to fish very stealthily, keeping a low profile, even crawling, and casting from your knees. It is a good idea to assess each potential location from a spot well away from the stream before making your approach. An added complication comes from the strong winds that are common in the river valley, particularly in the afternoons.
The upper Owens is a migratory fishery, with spawning fish coming up out of Crowley Lake. Rainbow and cutthroat trout spawn in the spring, moving upstream in April and early May and returning to the lake in late May and June. In the fall, a run of brown trout and a particular species of rainbows begins in late September and continues into November.
Because of these spawning runs, the river is subject to special regulations. Above Benton Crossing Road, the river is open year-round and is restricted to artificial lures with barbless hooks. From the first Saturday in April until November 15, there is a two-fish limit with a 16-inch maximum size. From November 16 to the first Saturday in April, the fishing is catch-and-release only.
Below Benton Crossing Road down to the fishing monument, the river is closed until the Saturday before Memorial Day. It is then open to all forms of fishing until September 30. Then the river is closed again until the following Memorial Day weekend. The monument is located a quarter of a mile upstream from the mouth of Crowley Lake. Below the monument, the river is governed by the same regulations as the lake. Fishing there opens the last Saturday of April and continues through November 15. From August 1 through November 15, this fishery requires barbless hooks and artificial lures, with an 18-inch minimum size restriction and a two-fish limit.
Understand that the regulations are subject to change, so check them out with California Department of Fish and Wildlife sources. Also, be aware that the presence of spawning fish requires care from anglers. Stay out of the river, and particularly avoid disturbing spawning redds and their fish — especially the cutthroats. It goes without saying that there is a special place in perdition for people who snag these fish.
In the spring and fall, this section is a nymph/streamer river. Migrating fish move up into the deep holes and undercut banks, which is where you need to fish. Local icon Fred Rowe advised fishing these pools with nymph patterns weighted so that they literally bounce along the stream bottom. Fish a series of short drifts, using an upstream cast with a moderate amount of line. Follow the fly downstream with the rod tip, lifting up and out at the end of the drift to repeat. Any drag in this drift will put off the fish. Rowe also advises stripping streamers along and through the cut banks. This strategy can be effective at any time of the year for both migrants and resident trout. Fish in this river do not seem to pod up, so plan to fish as much water as you can.
Take along nymph patterns in sizes from 16 to 20. Productive patterns include Copper Johns, caddis pupae, midge larvae, Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, and Flashbacks, with and without beads. Streamers in sizes 6 through 12 include olive Matukas, silver streamers, and olive and brown Woolly Buggers.
From mid-May through late September, the upper Owens can be fished with surface imitations. The fish population during this period is fewer in number and smaller in size, owing to the absence of lake fish. Trout can be found feeding on the surface in the riffles, at the heads of pools, and at the tail ends of slow-moving water. Fish mayfly imitations such as Adams Parachutes, Blue-Winged Olives, and Blue-Winged Olive emergers in May and June. Caddis hatches occur from July through September and can be imitated using Elk Hair Caddises, Cutter’s E/C Caddis, and CDC caddis emergers.
These meadows also support significant populations of grasshoppers, so make sure you have some of those patterns, and I always bring along my go-to Cutter’s Perfect Ant.
The quality of the fishing seems to drop off in August and then pick up again toward mid-September. At the end of last year, there was a lot of conversation to the effect that the population of trout in the upper Owens (and in many other eastern Sierra waters) was down significantly due to the impacts of the extended drought. The overall effects of the extraordinary runoff this year remain to be seen.
Upper Owens trout see a lot of pressure and thousands of insect imitations annually. Generally speaking, this fishery demands a high degree of skill, thought, and attention in order to fish it with success. It is a good place to gauge your competence and then measure your improvement. Because conditions are perfect for spooking fish, a long and fine leader is required: 9 feet or more of 6X or 7X for dry flies and up to 6 feet and 5X for nymphs. Presentation is crucial. I find myself trying to make longer drifts than I normally do, and I am not sure that makes it any easier to achieve a drag-free drift. It is more productive to locate trout and then fish to individual fish. One approach is to cast upstream and slightly across the desired feeding lane. Skid the fly into the correct slot and then feed line into the drift. A downstream drift can also be productive, especially when working the cut banks. Whatever strategy you employ, know that any drag will be fatal to success.
The Owens Gorge
Below Crowley Lake, the river tumbles into a canyon in which it drops some 3,000 feet over a distance of 19 miles before entering Pleasant Valley Reservoir at the head of the Owens Valley. This stretch is known as the Owens Gorge and is a popular destination, especially in the winter, when summer’s excessive temperatures can be avoided. The river is small, and its flows are regulated as a part of the LADWP water-delivery system. The flow is now maintained as a result of a court order. The walls of the canyon are over 700 feet high in places, and the stream flows through a narrow V at the bottom. Access is usually made via Owens Gorge Road, which exits to the east of Highway 395, 35 miles south of Mammoth Lakes. Follow the road until you reach a locked gate. Entry is made by foot beyond this point and requires a steep and strenuous uphill walk back out at the end of the day. The gorge is also a popular destination for rock climbers, so there are a number of “scramble” routes into and out of the canyon. Information on these can be found at climbing shops, but understand that they are established by and for climbers, not fishing people.
Once you reach the river, you will find a freestone stream that is usually flowing at 90 to 100 cubic feet per second. For information on current flows, check out the real-time aqueduct site maintained by the LADWP, http://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/realtime/norealtime.htm.
The river is densely choked with cottonwood, willows, and deadfall. Working along the stream is difficult, and many people prefer to move upstream and downstream in the water to avoid the vegetation as well as the numerous rattlesnakes that inhabit the place. The river drops quickly through plunge pools, waterfalls, and riffles. Although it can be fished with nymphs, the gorge is generally thought of as a dry-fly fishery. The same patterns that you would carry for the upper Owens (mostly mayfly and caddis imitations) will work here. Fish using short casts and drifts, and reduce the length of the leader accordingly. You will be fishing mostly for brown trout and the occasional rainbow. The fish run in the 8-to-10-inch range. The attraction here is quantity, rather than size.
The gorge is open to fishing year-round. In the summer, it can be extremely hot and physically demanding. In any season, carry an ample supply of water, due to the heat and the strenuous walk. The gorge can be a lot of fun, but it is not easy fishing in any sense of the word. Talk with people who have been there to get an idea of what is required before you set out.
The Lower Owens
The lower Owens begins with the outflow of Pleasant Valley Reservoir, five miles north of Bishop, east of Highway 395. Trout can be found as far downstream as Big Pine. The initial stretch of river is paralleled by Chalk Bluff Road for about five miles to Five Bridges Road. From that point south, access can be made on dirt tracks that take off from Highways 6 and 395. Information can be obtained from the Bishop Chamber of Commerce, Google Maps, or the U. S. Forest Service Inyo Forest map.
Below Five Bridges Road, the density of stream vegetation increases greatly, making it difficult to fish from shore. Although there are use trails that lead to specific spots, it is not easy to fish the river by trying to work along the bank. For this reason, many people fish the lower Owens using a drift boat. There are guides who offer this service, or you can use your own boat. If you do the latter, understand that the combination of confusing channels and dense vegetation results in people becoming lost on the river. Many people carry a GPS in their boat to make sure they know where they are. The winding nature of this river means that there are many more river miles between put-in and take-out points than would appear from a straight line on a map.
The flows of the lower Owens are highly variable and subject to change within a short time frame. Earlier this year, during the runoff period, the river was flowing at nearly 800 cfs and was dangerous and totally unfishable. Normally, flows are high in the summer due to downstream demands for water and power. They taper off in the fall and winter and then begin to increase in the late spring. However, the river is a part of a conveyance system in which water is moved from place to place throughout the year, so many management schemes are possible. The river is fishable at 300 cfs, which is not uncommon late spring and summer. It becomes wadeable at about 150 cfs and, for my way of thinking and fishing, is at its best at 90 to 120 cfs. Before leaving home, I check for flow numbers at the LADWP Web site mentioned above.
The Pleasant Valley tailwater is a wild-trout fishery and subject to the following regulations. From the dam to the Pleasant Valley campground footbridge, there is a two-fish limit from January 1 through September 30. The remainder of the year, fishing is restricted to artificial lures with barbless hooks and a zero take limit. From the footbridge downstream to a redwood regulations marker, the fishing is with artificial lures and barbless hooks only, with a zero take limit. Below the redwood sign, the river is open to fishing year-round with no special angling regulations.
Like the upper Owens, the lower river winds gently through a broad, sage-filled valley. It features curves with cut banks and eddies, deep runs and pools, and connecting riffles. In many places, the river is incised up to six feet below ground level. That the river was out of its banks this past spring gives a sense of the magnitude of this year’s runoff. When the river is more peaceful, you can see how deeply the banks are undercut, up to two or three feet in spots. In high flows, these banks are subject to collapse, so be careful when trying to use them as a casting perch.
The major difference between the upper and lower Owens is the stifling vegetation in the Owens Valley. One of the bigger challenges in fishing the lower Owens is simply finding one’s way to the river. The wild-trout section is more open and contains more riffle water than the river below the regulations sign. The wild-trout section also sees greater pressure, particularly in the winter and early spring. A first-impression look at the numbers of cars parked along Chalk Bluff Road can be discouraging, but there are numerous fish in this part of the river, and there is a lot of water to work.
Fly selection here is tied to seasonal and flow considerations. In the winter and early spring, the primary food source is a large population of midges. Most anglers fish the deep runs and pools with Zebra Nymphs, WD-40s, Copper Johns, or Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear, or Bird’s Nest Nymphs. Strategic approaches are similar to those employed on the upper Owens. Fred Rowe is an exponent of the Czech nymphing system, bouncing a rig of three flies along the bottom of the stream. The patterns in the setup vary with the season and the insects that are most active at the time. Throughout the year, a good early morning rig would be a midge dry with a midge emerger or nymph dropper.
Baetis begin to appear in late February and early March, and caddisflies enter the picture in April. There is enough activity from these insects to provide dry fly fishing opportunities on warmer days beginning in March. Fishing a nymph is still the ticket on these days in the morning hours, with dry-fly possibilities arising in the middle of the day. May brings a stronger caddis presence, and these persist through the end of August. Stoneflies and Tricos appear in June, with the former providing trout food through July and the latter through August. The summer, from mid-July through early September, often brings a drop-off in insect production due to higher valley temperatures and increased flows in response to power and water demands. Many fly fishers turn to stripping streamers through the deep sections and along the cut banks. Of course, there are people who employ this approach throughout the year. For those who do not fancy this strategy, fishing midge and mayfly nymphs deep can also bring success. The insects come back to life and temperatures and flows drop in late September and October, and this brings a month to six weeks of surface fishing, with mayfly and caddis patterns added to the streamer/nymph mix.
All this means that the fly box that you carried to the upper Owens also will serve you well on the lower river, with the addition of stonefly and Trico imitations in June, July, and into August. The same goes with the approaches to presentation. One difference is that there seem to be greater concentrations of fish in the lower Owens, and you will want to move along the water in a slower, more deliberate way.
Given its history, so bound up with the history of water transfers in Southern California, it is pretty amazing that the Owens is such a robust fishery. There are few eastern Sierra experiences more captivating than fishing the Owens River as it flows between the high peaks of the Sierra and White Mountains. There are many days when I visit the river just to be in the setting. I am sure that my level of success on the river is compromised by my distraction as I gaze at the views. Whether you enjoy the soft light of a fall afternoon as the colors change along the Sierra Crest or spend a sunny winter’s afternoon watching a storm fall into the valley, fishing the Owens can be one of the most memorable experiences in an angler’s life.
